408: Celebration
by me11
Summary: Episode Eight...Lex's Birthday...a party...Lucas, Pete, Bruce...and Lionel-related angst...
1. Teaser

**4.08: Celebration**

**Teaser**

For the first time in four months, Chloe was alone. Truly alone. There were no bodyguards following her today, or any other day from now on, because the major threat against her had disappeared and Lex had decided that she would be safe by herself again. It was what she imagined witnessing the end of a war would be like: she'd looked so forward to this point, the road behind her was long and painful, but so was the one ahead. She was realizing that gaining her independence once more didn't make her feel a whole lot better, it just made her feel...alone. The world hadn't changed, one of the key players in her little universe may be gone but there was still a harsh world going against her, and this time she didn't have people like Quinn and Jameson to back her up.

Lionel Luthor was dead, buried and rotting in an opulent grave beside the wife that he loved so dearly, and drove into insanity. For the second time since she'd moved into the mansion, Chloe found herself walking the gardens at sunrise, unable to sleep and settling on a stone bench overlooking the pond.

Footsteps approached behind her but she didn't turn to look. She knew that this time it wasn't Quinn; it was just Lex. He didn't require and invitation, he just made his way over silently, joining her on the bench.

"I've always preferred sunrise over sunset," he remarked, staring intently at the orange and pink sky. "I like the beginning."

"So you're not really a closer then?" she teased lightly. Lex smirked slightly and she knew that he was; he was multi talented. "I always took you for a night owl." She smirked now, picturing him blending in perfectly with the black sky.

"It usually seems to end up that way," he admitted. "Belonging in the dark...always."

Chloe looked over at him seriously. "I like night better anyways," she admitted. "Everything looks better...you know how they say that 'things will look better in the morning'? I think it's a stupid saying. Nothing _ever_ looks better in harsher lighting, and any problems that you had the night before only get worse because you left them longer and waited until morning. It's a stupid saying."

He smiled now, not his usual smirk but the kind of smile that only she seemed to really be able to coax out of him. "How come you're up so early then?" he asked her. "Don't they usually have to tear you out of bed with the promise of caffeine and sugar?"

"Can't sleep," she rolled her eyes at his annoyingly accurate account and turned back to the sunrise. "Why are you?"

"I'm not," he replied vaguely. When she frowned he elaborated: "Just very late getting to bed."

She frowned again, seriously this time. "You need to sleep Lex," she told him seriously. "You can't keep doing this."

"Doing what?" he asked coolly, putting his guard up already.

"Running back and forth to Metropolis everyday, working on less than five hours of sleep," she clarified, giving him a pointed look to show him that she was aware of what was going on. "Skipping meals."

"Chloe I have to manage Luthor Corp now," he reminded her tensely. "I won't let it suffer because you think I'm getting tired. It's not my fault that the offices are there and the mansion is here."

"You're going to drive yourself—"

"Crazy?" he supplied. Chloe winced at the word and chose not to finish her sentence.

"You know if you called Lucas he would come to Metropolis and help out," she prodded. "I'm sure he'd love to throw himself into the family business."

"Chloe not only is Lucas not qualified to help run Luthor Corp, he's also not old enough," Lex told her with a frustrated sigh. They'd had this conversation once a week since Lionel had died, and she was entirely aware that he was loosing patience for it.

"He'll be twenty in January, Lex," she told him with a roll of her eyes. "That's almost the same age that you were when you came to Smallville. You were running the plant then."

"That's different," he shook his head dismissively.

"Why?"

"Because my father was preparing me to take over Luthor Corp since I was thirteen," Lex sighed in frustration. "Lucas doesn't know anything about the company or the market that we deal with."

"He could learn."

"I'd also finished college by then Chloe," he told her. "Lucas barely graduated from high school. He may be intelligent but he's a loose cannon and I won't have him responsible for my company."

"But you need help Lex," she brought up her usual argument. "You can't do it all by yourself, not like this. Lucas could—"

"Lucas is a sociopath Chloe," he cut her off with a bitter laugh. "He's not stable. I would sign over half of the company to you before I put him in charge of my dry cleaning."

"Fine," she muttered bitterly. She had a more interesting topic in mind anyways. "Lex?"

"Yes?" he almost groaned.

"What do you want for your birthday?"

_TBC..._


	2. One

**Chapter One**

_A/N: Okay everyone, thanks for the awesome reviews. I logged onto my mail (after a few days of ignoring it) and there were 10 reviews waiting for me there! That's the most I've ever got at once, so you all rock! Anyways, I have a double update today, Chapters 1 AND 2!!! I know, I still suck for waiting so long...forget that. Just a little explination about this episode: when I originally planned it the plot for this one was only going to be Episode Eight, but now I think I may have to make it a two parter (like I did with Escape and Return). Also, you may have already noticed that I put in dates (like the Tuesday, October 5th below); I normally don't like to see this in a fan fic, let along WRITE it in a fanfic. The original version of this episode didn't have dates in it, but when I read through I realized that, even though the timeline didn't jump back and forth, it did skip a few days. Basically I just thought that putting in dates would prevent any questions that people were sure to ask about timelines...and if that didn't confuse you than this stupid a#! explanation will! :0) Be assured, the date explinations and stupid explinations of date explinations will be gone after this two parter. Right...so, chapters 1 and 2 are very low on action, contains a lot of planning and some plotting, and some of the scenes may seem pointless but I assure you that they all are there for a reason, as a tie in to either something later in Ep 8, 9 or later in the series. Expect some angst ahead. I also just realized that I've been writing this series for about three months now; doesn't it feel longer? Maybe that's just because I'm only on Episode 8...sorry, I know I suck! Be kind, review. :0)_

* * *

_Tuesday, October 5th_

"A party?" Clark asked with a frown, closing his locker and slinging his backpack over his shoulder. Beside him Chloe nodded eagerly. "I don't know Chloe."

"Why not?" she demanded. They were walking in the general direction of her locker, finished for the day, and once again free of bodyguards. "Lex has done a lot for me this year. The least I can do is show him a good time on his birthday. Do you realize that he's going to be twenty four?"

"Chloe you may not have noticed but Lex and I don't get along as well as we used to," Clark told her awkwardly, waiting while she opened her locker.

"I noticed," she rolled her eyes and pulled out a book. "And I really don't care Clark. You and Lex used to be super close and now you act like the only reason you even tolerate him is because I live at his house."

Clark shrugged sheepishly. "Well, I'm not a very good actor Chloe..."

"Very funny," she sighed. "Look Clark, I want to do this for him, and I want you to be there. Please tell me you'll be there."

Clark groaned and she gave him her best puppy dog face—one she'd stolen from him. "I'll be there," he nodded.

"Promise?" she prompted. Clark broke into a mega watt grin.

"I promise," he nodded. Chloe returned his grin and threw her arms around him tightly, pulling him into a quick hug before going back to her books.

"Good," she closed her locker and they continued down the hall towards the exit doors. "You can help me plan it."

"What?" his smile faded. "No, I agreed to show up Chloe. The issue of planning a party was never agreed on—"

"But Clark you know him the best," she tried to reason. "You'll know what he wants in a party..."

"I don't know Lex very well," Clark shook his head. "I used to think I did, but now..."

"One day you're going to have to tell me what happened between you two," she sighed. Clark got his familiar shifty look and she decided not to bother. "Okay, first thing...should we have a big party, lots of guests and business associates, or just something small?"

Clark shrugged uselessly and she shot him a terrifying look that actually made his eyes widen in fear. He sighed in defeat. "I think maybe Lex has enough big parties and business associates around him as it is," he suggested. "He told Lana once that he usually spends those big parties hiding out in the coat room."

Chloe frowned. "How do you know that?" she asked.

Clark shrugged again, his favorite motion. "She told me."

"Oh," Chloe sighed, deciding not to waste her time trying to decipher Lana Lang's amazing ability to spill secrets...not that she should talk. She nodded encouragingly at him. "Okay then. Good suggestion Clark, we'll have a small party. Too bad though, watching him dominate an entire room of people is really...we need to think of where, what we'll do, who will be there."

"His family used to have a ranch," Clark suggested. "He used to go there with his mom a lot, but when she died Lionel sold it. Maybe we could do something like that."

She frowned again. "How do you know that?"

"He told me," Clark sighed. "Chloe if you want my suggestions you're going to have to stop questioning everything I say."

"I'm sorry," she pouted. "I really am trying to work on that." She ignored Clark's frown and waved her hands excitedly as she talked. "That's like horses and other animals right?" she asked him and then frowned at the memory of killer horses. "Well I guess we could have it in your barn..."

Clark frowned now too and they both tried to picture it; the whole idea screamed hoe down.

"Maybe we should make that Plan B?"

* * *

_Wednesday, October 6th_

"Good morning Mr. Luthor," the perky redheaded secretary chirped as Lex walked out of the elevator and onto the top floor of Luthor Corp Plaza. She jumped to her feet and quickly joined him, a clipboard and day planner in one hand, and a Starbucks cup in the other.

"Good morning Miss Sharp," he returned, sounding far less exhausted than he actually felt. He accepted the offered cup and took a grateful sip. "Thank-you. What do I have today?"

She checked the day planner and followed behind him as he strode quickly into his office, her heels clicking on the marbled tiles. "You have a shareholder's meeting in boardroom one at ten o'clock—Miss Sullivan requested that I remind you that your brother will be attending—"

Lex rolled his eyes.

"—Then lunch with the mayor at noon at Giorgio's—"

"The mayor?" he asked, hating that he needed to be reminded.

"Yes sir," she double-checked the planner. "Apparently Bruce Wayne is in town—"

"Right," he remembered, and struggled not to groan. "And after lunch?"

"There's a school tour coming through at one thirty; you're supposed to greet them. A press conference is scheduled for two o'clock, and you agreed to a private interview with the Daily Planet at four."

"That everything?" he asked, sitting down behind his massive desk, opening his briefcase and trying not to sound too hopeful.

"Yes sir," she nodded again and smiled hugely. "Busy day today."

Lex managed a weak grin and a nod. "Must be Wednesday. Thank you Miss Sharp," he turned to his papers. "That will be all."

She smiled again and left the room, heels clicking rhythmically while she went. Once the door had closed behind her Lex allowed his calm exterior to drop. He sighed and ran a hand over his head. Chloe was right this was exhausting him. But he couldn't take a break; Luthor Corp was his responsibility now and he had to prove himself. So far he'd been doing okay; stock was up lately, despite the scandal of Lionel's trial and the succession of attempted murders on Chloe.

It was funny; he'd wanted to be in control of Luthor Corp for as long as he could remember. But now the company didn't hold him in the same thrall that it once did. His new office didn't feel like a luxury, it felt like an overgrown playground. His team of yes-men was even more irritating than usual, and he found himself actually longing for his days at the Smallville Plant.

But he was a Luthor, and if Lionel Luthor had taught his eldest son anything, it was that Luthor's always prevailed.

'Only the strong survive Lex; you can't get anywhere with your eyes closed.'

"Don't worry dad," he muttered bitterly as he went over the list of items for the ten o-clock board meeting. "My eyes are wide open."

* * *

"Chloe this is a bad idea," Clark gnawed on his lip in concern, shooting her a paranoid look from his position in the passenger seat. She rolled her eyes and flicked on the turn signal, maneuvering the car onto the off ramp marked "Metropolis City Center". "We should be in school!"

"You didn't have to come with me Clark," she sighed and came to a stop at the first set of lights.

"What, and let you skip school by yourself to come into Metropolis and lurk around the Luthor Corp offices" he guffawed. "Yeah right. Lex would kill me."

"He might kill us anyways," she grinned at him and then eased her way into the moving traffic again. "If I were you I'd be more scared of what your dad's going to say when he finds out that you skipped an entire day of school."

Clark winced briefly and then shook his head. "No, I'll just tell him that I was worried about you meeting Lucas Luthor by yourself," he sighed again. "Chloe you do realize that the guy's a sociopath, don't you?"

"That's what Lex keeps saying," she said with a thoughtful sigh. Clark stared back at her, shocked that she was being so flippant about the youngest Luthor's frankly scary personality. "Clark we live in Smallville. Compared to some of the meteor freaks from that town, Lucas is well balanced."

"I guess," he muttered bitterly, still remembering the time Lucas had tried to knock him around playing basketball. Moron..."I wonder why Lex doesn't have anything to do with him?" Clark continued. "Last time he was in town Lex seemed so happy to have him there."

"I guess he had to stay away while Lionel was still around," Chloe sighed. "But that still doesn't explain why Lex doesn't want him around now...I guess it could be the sociopath thing..."

"I think that Lex considers family more important than sanity," Clark shook his head. "Cased on his past experiences with family anyways. There must be another reason."

"We'll find out what it is," she promised him. "And then we'll fix it."

"Fix it?" he groaned. "Chloe I don't think that Lex will appreciate being the subject of your next obsessive cause."

"Why not? I just want to help him, Clark," she pulled the car over into one of the above ground lots for the subway.

"We're not there yet Chloe," he told her, looking around at the hundred or so cars parked in the massive lot. He couldn't even see Luthor Corp Plaza or the Daily Planet yet.

"We're taking the subway Clark," she told him, turning off the ignition and hopping out of the car. "Lex would recognize the car and know that we're there."

"What?" he undid his seatbelt and scrambled out after her. "He doesn't know that we're coming?"

"No."

"But once we're there we're going to tell him, right?" Clark pressed and hurried after her as she headed straight to the ticket stations.

"Of course not," she rolled her eyes and purchased two return tickets. "That would ruin the surprise. We didn't spend all of last night planning this party only to have him catch on to it a week and a half before his birthday." Clark just nodded and took the ticket she held out to him. She didn't require a response anyways.

* * *

The subway was as packed as ever, but Chloe liked it that way. The seats were all full and they had to stand in the aisles, holding the overhead metal bars for support. Or at least she was holding the bar; Clark seemed to be hanging on for dear life. While she swayed easily with the starts and stops of the train, Clark was fighting desperately to maintain his balance and not topple over onto the little old lady beside him. Bodies bumped into them, a nearby pair of freshman-looking boys brushing up against her a couple more times than necessary. She shot them a warning look and rolled her eyes at Clark, who didn't see because he was busy looking around the train car at the other passengers.

Clark bent over and whispered in her ear. "Why are people staring at me?" he asked, shooting a paranoid glance around the car once more. Chloe frowned and followed his gaze to several passengers that were shooting him sideways looks.

"Maybe they think you're cute," she suggested. Clark blushed and it clashed horribly with his shirt...his blue, flannel, farm shirt... "Or maybe they're wondering where you left your pickup truck."

Clark rolled his eyes and pretended to ignore her. She was used to his flannel-fashion, but he did kind of stand out on the train amidst the business clad, Puma track suits, designer pumps, and abundance of name brand sports clothing that would make even Pete salivate in envy.

The train reached the next stop and several people filed out, including the old lady beside Clark. The shuffle of people bumped into them and Clark got pushed a few feet down the car. The two freshman boys took the only empty seats nearby and Chloe suppressed a groan; she'd been standing for a while now. One of them looked up at her with what he probably hoped was a come-hither-type smirk. "You can sit here," he moved his backpack off of his knees and gestured to his empty lap.

"Or I could grab you and your friend by your scrawny necks, toss you across the train and take your seats," she suggested with a sarcastic smile. The kid's smirk widened.

"Now why'd ya gotta go an' be like that?" he asked her, his friend chuckling along with him. "There's enough room for the three of us. We can share."

"Or we could pretend like you never asked me that," she snarked. "And I won't ask my friend to make you apologize."

"Your friend?" the kid frowned. "I don't see—"

Clark chose that moment to push his way through the crowd, making his way back over to her. "I thought I lost you for a minute there," he flashed a mega grin, evidently getting over the jab about the flannel. Clark looked back and forth between her and the two boys on the bench, who were staring up at him with wide eyes. "What's going on?"

"Clark you're just in time," she smiled sweetly at the boys on the bench. "These guys were just about to give us their seats."

"Uh, yeah," the one that had hit on her nodded quickly and grinned shakily up at Clark. Him and his friend climbed to their feet, their full height only a couple of inches taller than her and several shorter than Clark. "The next stop is ours anyways." They hurried off, pushing their way through the crowd to wait closer to the doors.

Chloe smiled at Clark and took a seat. He was looking around them for a moment (probably looking for old people to offer the seat to) and then finally joined her. "That was nice of them," he remarked. Chloe struggled not to roll her eyes.

"Yeah."

* * *

They came out of the subway tunnels just down the street from Luthor Corp Plaza. Clark immediately headed towards the familiar building but Chloe grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a McDonalds.

"Chloe!" he yelped, regaining his balance and pulling his arm away from her surprisingly firm grip. "Jeez. If you're hungry just say so!"

"No Clark," she grabbed his wrist again, more gently this time, and led him past the tables and down a hallway that led to the bathrooms. "We can eat after we talk to Lucas."

"Then you could have just said that you had to go to the bathroom—"

"I don't have to..._shhh Clark_," she rolled her eyes again and released his arm. He waited silently as she unzipped her backpack and pulled out several articles of clothing.

"What do I do with this?" he asked her skeptically, holding up the black shirt that she handed him. She shot him an "oh come on" look and he shook his head. "No, I mean why are you giving me this."

"Because you're going to change into that," she told him.

"What? Why?"

"Because Clark, there is only one person who ever goes into the Luthor Corp building wearing a flannel shirt like that," she told him. "Lex will notice you right away, or one of the secretaries will recognize you. If you wear something like that you'll never blend into the crowd. If it makes you feel better I'm changing too." She held up another black shirt and some pants.

"Fine," he groaned and headed in the direction of the men's room. "Chloe?"

"What?" she asked, the door to the women's bathroom already half way open.

He pointed to a sign on the door. "Men's room is out of order," he tried the doorknob. "It's locked."

Chloe blinked at him once and poked her head into the women's bathroom. "Is anyone in here?" she called out. When no one answered her she turned back to Clark. "Quick, come in here before anyone sees you."

Clark felt his jaw drop open in shock. "Chloe! I can't go into the _women_'s bathroom!" he hissed as quietly as he could, not wanting any of the other customers or employees to hear him.

"Would you rather change out here in the hallway?" she asked smartly, holding the door wide open, knowing what his answer would be. Clark sighed and walked into the bathroom, closing the door quickly behind him. "Now quickly okay? We have to get there before Lucas leaves."

They each walked into a stall and closed the doors behind them. He unbuttoned the flannel one and slipped it off, hanging it over the door. "What time is this meeting at?" he asked, pulling off his white t-shirt next.

"Lex's secretary said that the board meeting started at ten," Chloe called back. "So they'll be in there until at least eleven. It's ten fifty now, and we'd better be there for just after eleven, in case it doesn't take too long. If we miss him we have to go all the way to Edge City."

"Or we could use the phone like _normal_ people," Clark muttered. He hung the white shirt on the door too and began to pull the black one over his head.

"Luthor's do best with face to face confrontations," she replied seriously. A hand appeared over the wall of his stall. "Give me your shirt, I'll put it in my backpack."

"Yeah sure," Clark held them over the wall for her and waited until she grabbed them.

"Can you see over the stall?" she asked suddenly, worried. Clark laughed silently to himself.

"If I stand on my tip toes."

"What?!"

"Are you done yet?" he pushed his door open and waited for her by the sink. He checked his reflection in the mirror and frowned. "Is this Lex's shirt?"

"Yeah. Why?" she asked. In the mirror Clark could see her push the door open and come out to join him. He turned around and swallowed uncomfortably, taking in the tight black pants and shirt that she was wearing.

"It's kind of tight," he tugged a little at the collar. Chloe looked up from where she was fiddling with her backpack; her eyes widened slightly. The shirt was tight; skintight in fact...but then, so was hers.

"It looks...good," she stammered slightly but quickly regained her composure. She ignored the blush that spread over both of their cheeks and continued. "All of Lex's clothes are tailored...that was the only thing I could find that would fit you."

"It doesn't really fit," he groaned. "Maybe I should put my t-shirt back on?"

"Fine, but hurry up," she unzipped her backpack again and began to rummage around inside, looking for the t-shirt. Clark nodded and grabbed the hem of the shirt, pulling it up and over his head...

"Excuse me?"

Chloe and Clark both froze and turned towards the doorway. A girl in a McDonalds uniform was standing there, cleaning supplies in hand, and staring at them in disbelief.

"H-hi," Clark felt his cheeks turn red again.

"We were just..." Chloe tried to cover but seemed to be at a loss for words. The girl looked accusingly from Chloe's flushed cheeks to shirt in Clark's hands. He felt suddenly naked under the strangers gaze and quickly put the shirt back on.

"Look I don't know for sure here, but I'm pretty sure that the company has rules about people using the public bathrooms to—"

"Oh! We weren't—" Clark shook his head quickly.

"No," Chloe nodded quickly in agreement. "We were just—"

"I know what you were doing," the girl stopped her hastily. "And it's...I'm pretty sure that it's, like, a health code violation or something..."

"We're leaving," Chloe assured her and grabbed Clark's hand, pulling him out of the bathroom as fast as she could. They hurried down the hall and just as they we rounding the corner the girl's voice called out to them from her position in the doorway.

"Hey, nice abs!"

They increased their speed and barreled out of the restaurant, stunned diners watching them go. Chloe pulled him all the way down the street, until they were almost at the Luthor Corp building, before she let go of his hand. Clark's face was still burning even as he stood there on the busy street, staring down at Chloe and trying to think of something to say.

She opened her mouth a couple of times, no sound coming out, before closing it with a snap. They both burst out laughing at the exact same time. Around them people began to shoot curious glances as they hurried by. Chloe leaned against the wall of a building for support and wiped at the tears in her eyes, and Clark buried his face in his hands in embarrassment.

"Why do I listen to you?" he asked her with a sigh once they'd finished laughing. "Stuff like this always happens to us."

"Without me you'd have no fun at all Kent," she rolled her eyes and thrust the backpack into his hands for him to carry. "I guess you're stuck wearing that shirt now. Don't worry, it shows off your _nice abs_." Clark glared at her and she averted her eyes, putting a rather lot of effort into straightening her outfit. "Are you ready?"

"No," he sighed. "But does that matter?"

"Nope," she shook her head and grinned at him. "We have to go." Her outfit was already tight enough to make him blush, but when she deftly unbuttoned the top two buttons on her shirt, Clark felt his jaw drop at the expanse of creamy skin that was revealed. Luckily Chloe took his response as a protest, because she sighed and nodded. "I know, I know...it's a little more revealing than I'd like. But considering who we're about to talk to, I don't think it could hurt."

"I guess," he agreed reluctantly. He didn't really care for Lucas in the first place, but the thought of him ogling Chloe caused Clark to feel a little sick, and a lot more jealous than he would have liked.

"Okay," she said confidently once they reached the entrance doors to Luthor Corp Plaza. "Let's go meet Lucas."

* * *

"Thank-you all for coming today," Lex stood up, the rest of the board members doing the same...all except one. "I'll see you all next month. Please feel free to call me if you have any concerns in the interim."

The various board members took turns shaking hands with Lex and each other, before filing out of the room and leaving the two youngest members alone together. From where he was sprawled lazily in his seat, Lucas smirked up at his half-brother. "No hug?" he asked.

Lex ignored the comment and began to pack his papers away into his briefcase. "I'm sorry I can't stay and chat Lucas," Lex told him, not sounding at all sorry. "But I have a lunch appointment that I have to keep."

"Going so soon?" Lucas made no move to stand. "Don't you wanna hang out? We could play checkers."

"Maybe some other time," Lex smirked. "Some of us have work to do."

"Ah yes," Lucas nodded. "The Chairman and Owner of Luthor Corp is always busy, isn't that what dad taught us? Too busy for friends, too busy to have any fun, too busy for even family."

Lex paused briefly, staring down at the papers in his hands, before dropping them into the briefcase and pretending that it had never happened. "If that's what it takes," he nodded vaguely to his younger brother.

Lucas smirked back at him, still making no move to stand. "Well I for one think that you're doing an excellent job of it," Lucas continued. "And I'm sure that I'm not the only one. Why, I bet that if I called Chloe Sullivan she'd say the same thing."

Lex paused again, but this time he returned Lucas's stare, his eyes flashing with something that made even Lucas Luthor hesitate about pushing the issue. "I suggest that you leave Chloe Sullivan alone, Lucas," Lex told him coolly, and closed the briefcase with an audible snap.

"Why? She's cute, and with you working all the time she could probably use someone around to...take care of her," Lucas smirked again, actually anticipating the blow out that was sure to arise out of that comment. Lucas may not have been talking to Lex much lately, but they did have constant access to each other, and he'd been carefully following his brother's appearances in the press. It didn't take a genius to realize that for some reason, Chloe Sullivan was a soft spot for the usually unbreakable Luthor heir. Lucas just assumed that they were—

"Lucas," Lex snapped tersely. "Though I'm thrilled to see you, what are you doing here? I know you better than to believe that you're only here to keep updated on Luthor Corps financial situation. What do you want?"

Lucas smirked again. "Maybe I just wanted to see my big brother," he said innocently.

"Really?" Lex clearly didn't believe him.

Lucas shrugged. "Sure," he grinned again. Lex shook his head and picked the briefcase up.

"I have to go," he strode purposefully to the doors. "I trust that you can find the way out."

As soon as the doors snapped shut behind Lex, Lucas let the smirk on his face fall. He stared stonily at the large oak table in front of him, running a finger distractedly over the sharp edges. He hadn't come to check on Luthor Corp; Lucas had no doubt that Lex was running it efficiently. He wasn't really sure why he came, but he had the strangest feeling that he was looking for something.

He sighed and pushed himself up and out of the comfy Italian leather chair, picked up the file folder in front of him, and made his way to the door. Lex's secretary smiled at him as he left.

"Good day Mr. Luthor," she chirped. Lucas nodded back and pressed the button for the elevators. He tapped his foot while he waited, flipping through his copy of the shareholder's report that Lex had prepared. The lift finally reached the top floor and the doors opened.

He walked into the large marble lined elevator car, still reading through his papers. The doors closed behind him. "Mr. Luthor," a warm voice greeted. Lucas's head shot up from the papers and turned to his right. Clark Kent was leaning against the elevator wall, looking bored. But it wasn't Clark who had greeted him; it was the girl beside him. Lucas let his eyes rake over her figure hugging pants and tightly fitted top, resting momentarily on the ample view of cleavage. Chloe Sullivan smirked slightly at his surprise and pressed the button for the lobby. "Going down?"

_TBC..._


	3. Two

**Chapter Two**

Lunch at Giorgio's was usually enjoyable. In fact, Lex liked the restaurant; he'd always had great service there. Lunch with Mayor Haberman was usually tolerable as well; Lex liked the old man. But that day lunch at Giorgio's with Mayor Haberman was torture. Because _he_ was there. Lunch with Bruce Wayne was never enjoyable.

Lex managed to be polite enough to his old school friend, but inside he was screaming, his teeth gritting together and wearing down the enamel. The Mayor seemed to be delighted with the company and he talked jovially, the new city contracts his topic of choice. Lex wasn't stupid; he knew that though the Mayor enjoyed their company, he had only one real reason for meeting with the heads of Luthor Corp and Wayne Industries...it was an election year. The main benefit of the lunch was the attention that they attracted from the press: the two most powerful men in Metropolis, and the largest out of town investor. There were cameras at every window, and a line of reporters waiting out front of the building to get a shot when they left.

Lex ran a finger around the rim of his wine glass absentmindedly, only half listening to the conversation that Haberman and Wayne were having about getting together for a game of golf. The old man liked his golf. He almost scoffed out loud, knowing that Wayne enjoyed golf about as much as he himself did.

"...Perhaps we could get together for a game this weekend boys," Haberman continued, somehow catching Lex's attention. "Will you be in town this weekend Wayne?"

"Yes sir," Bruce nodded and gave the mayor a winning grin. Lex forced himself not to scowl. "A game sounds great."

"Ah, excellent," Haberman smiled back, the wrinkles around his eyes crinkling in a way that made Lex immediately think of a grandfather. "And you Luthor? Could you make a game this weekend?"

Lex didn't want to go. "Sunday?" he suggested with a smooth smile, not nearly as warm as Bruce's, but then he wasn't as suck up like Bruce was.

"Eight o'clock," Haberman nodded. When both Lex and Bruce had agreed, he smiled again and set his napkin down on his plate. "Well boys I'm sorry to run, but there's a city council meeting at one thirty that I have to be at. You'd be surprised at how much direction some of these councilors need at routine meetings...anyways, I look forward to seeing you on Sunday."

Lex and Bruce both stood and shook hands with the older man. Once Haberman was gone they sat down again, the exaggerated smiles gone now. "You hate golf don't you?" Bruce asked him, finishing off the last of his wine.

Lex raised and eyebrow and finished his drink as well. "Don't _you_?"

Bruce nodded and rolled his eyes. "Yes, well..." he seemed to be struggling for polite conversation. "...how is Chloe doing?"

"She's fine," Lex replied shortly, remembering the way Bruce had looked at her in London, and still not liking it.

"Good," Bruce nodded. "Tell her that I said hello, would you? I guess it's probably better now, what with people not trying to kill her. My condolences about your father by the way."

"Yes, we're all very torn up about it," Lex checked his watch lazily. "Well this has been...fun, but I have a press conference to get to. Please excuse me."

"Sure, I should be going too," they both stood and gathered their coats and briefcases. Neither said it but there was an unspoken agreement that they would walk out together. Predictably, as soon as they left the building they were bombarded by questions and flashes from reporters; people asking for a few shots of the two of them. Lex groaned mentally but stood beside Bruce, smirking faintly for the cameras. He may not like the man, but Wayne Industries had an excellent media image and a picture of the two of them together would be positive press for Luthor Corp, especially as Lex was trying to rebuild his own public image after his father's court scandal.

They shook hands briefly, paused for a few more pictures, and Lex managed to escape into his limo. "To the office please Liam," Lex told the driver once he'd closed the doors on the reporters. The limo pulled away from the curb and Lex pulled his blackberry out of his inside suit pocket. He pulled up the agenda option and looked through the rest of his day.

_**1:30 Metropolis High School Tour/Greeting**_

_**2:00 Press Conference**_

_**4:00 Daily Planet Interview**_

He put away the blackberry and began to go over his notes for the press conference, cursing the fact that his day was only half over.

* * *

"A party?" Lucas asked skeptically. "I'm not really a _birthday_ party kind of guy, Sullivan."

Chloe and Clark sat side by side on the other side of the table. Around them people hurried in and out of the entrance doors, ordering their cups of coffee on the way back to work. Starbucks addicts. Chloe held an enormous cup of coffee in her hands, an addict in her own right, and shook her head.

"It's not really a _party_, party Lucas," she assured him.

"Will there be strippers?" he asked, sipping his drink. Chloe scowled and Clark actually blushed. "Then it's not my kind of party. What are you doing anyway?"

She leaned forward eagerly, giving him a good view down the top of her shirt. "We're flying somewhere..." she trailed off.

"Somewhere?" he asked her. "Where is somewhere exactly, Sullivan?"

"I can't tell you that," she leaned back with a smug smile on her face. "We have to keep it quiet. Only the people that are coming with us are allowed to know...it's very secret."

Lucas rolled his eyes and continued to sip his coffee quietly, pretending that he wasn't curious. The girl knew exactly how to make him want to know...he hated that about her. She was clever and feisty; no wonder Lex liked to have her around.

Clark Kent obviously didn't have the same restraint because he turned to Chloe with an excited smile. "Come on Chlo," he prodded her once with his elbow. "If we tell him he might want to go."

"Clark," she shook her head at her friend but didn't take her eyes off of Lucas. "If he only wants to go because he likes the destination then I don't want him there."

Lucas raised his eyebrows. "_You_ don't want me there?" he chuckled. "I didn't realize it was your party, Sullivan."

"It's not," she stared back, a smile pulling up the corners of her pink lips. "It's Lex's party. But I'm not going to let you tag along and have you disappear once we get there just because you want a free trip."

"Then why even ask me?" Lucas was beginning to get annoyed with the same feistiness that he'd just been admiring.

"Because you're his brother, Lucas," she pointed out, rolling her eyes and finishing off her drink. "And I think that it's ridiculous that you two don't spend any time together, especially now that daddy dearest is gone. It's not like there are any other Luthor relatives climbing out of the woodwork these days. Normal families would be talking to each other right now."

"Sorry," Lucas shrugged. "We're not a normal family."

"No kidding," she smirked back. Clark shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Anyways, I'm not going to tell you where we're going even if you decide to come. I don't trust you to keep your mouth shut, especially with Lex."

"I'm getting the feeling that you don't really like me that much Chloe," Lucas smirked at her. "And I _know_ that Kent here doesn't. So why don't you just save us all a little time and tell me why I should bother coming on a trip with the two of you and a brother who wants nothing to do with me?"

"I don't dislike you Lucas, I don't even know you," she told him seriously. "But I know that _Lex_ has been taking care of your expenses for the last two years, giving you a swank apartment to live in, and since Lionel stopped doing it, keeping you out of trouble. You two may not be close but you owe him something besides an excessive gambling debt. Your only brother is turning twenty-four next Friday,Lucas, and you should be there with us to wish him happy birthday."

Lucas stared harshly into his coffee cup, as if he found the sugary residue on the bottom immensely fascinating. Across the table Chloe sighed and he heard her chair scrape against the floor as she stood, Clark's following a second later. He looked up in time to see her drop a strip of paper on the table in front of him. "If you change your mind," not even Clark could miss the disgust in her voice.

He listened for the sound of their footsteps retreating and, once the door closed behind them; he finally picked up the paper and read what she'd written there. He felt his jaw tighten when he read the neatly scrawled words she'd written, feeling unexpectedly guilty and hating the feeling. People like him didn't feel guilty, and they didn't let girls like Chloe Sullivan push them around.

Angered at her gull, he pushed his chair roughly from the table, stood, and strode quickly out the door. On the table behind him the piece of paper lay motionlessly where he left it, Chloe's loopy scrawl dark against the bone white background.

**_Mansion, October 15th, 5:30_**

* * *

_Saturday, October 9th_

The doorbell rang, interrupting the cartoon that Pete was watching. He waited a moment before realizing that his mother was still at work. Groaning, Pete removed the bowl of chips from their resting place on his lap and climbed to his feet, heading to answer the door. The bell rang again.

"Yeah, hold on a second!" he called through the door, reaching out and turning the handle. "I said I was coming—Clark! What are you doing here man?"

Clark Kent stood on the doorstep, flannel clad and a huge grin on his face. "Hey Pete," he greeted. Pete stepped out of the doorway to let him come in, clapping him on the back while he went past.

"Hey Clark," Pete returned, leading him into the living room and flopping back down onto the couch. "What's up man? What are you doing here?"

Clark sat down too, still grinning. "What are you doing next weekend, Pete?"

* * *

_Sunday, October 10th_

Sunday morning came all to quickly for Lex, and he was dreading the golf game that he'd so stupidly promised to play in. Since his lunch with the Mayor and Bruce Wayne on Wednesday he'd been to twelve meetings, three press conferences, ten interviews, and one charity picnic. He would have loved to spend Sunday relaxing at home, maybe going for a swim...oh who was he kidding, if he were in Smallville right then he would have been going over the mountain of paperwork that awaited him in his study. As terrible as golf was, at least it was giving him a few hours off.

Bruce Wayne was pretty good at the game, for a man who didn't enjoy it...but then, so was Lex. The Mayor had the best score of course, and Lex was annoyed to admit that he didn't even loose on purpose. He really hated that game.

"Shall we get some lunch?" Haberman suggested adjusting his plaid hat. They walked leisurely along the paths, choosing not to take a golf cart, the caddy's trailing several feet behind them.

"I could use a drink," Lex nodded, his throat feeling a little dry from the bright sun shining overhead.

"Good," Haberman smiled. They reached the tennis courts where two girls were engaged in a very heated game. "Oh, would you boys excuse me for a minute? I have to go and say hello to a friend of mine."

"Of course," Lex nodded at him. Haberman hurried over to a group of old men sitting near the golf cart office. Lex turned back to Bruce, wondering why he was so quiet. Wayne was staring hard at the tennis court.

"Is that Chloe?" he asked, bringing his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun. Lex nodded and they walked over to the courts, sitting on a bench off to the side to watch the match.

"She's picked up tennis in the last few weeks," he told Bruce, smirking as she nailed a wicked backhand at her opponent, getting the point. "She's getting pretty good." Bruce nodded.

They watched as she threw the ball up in the air in a serve, and hitting it so hard at her opponent that the other girl dropped her racket trying to hit it back. Chloe threw her hands up gleefully and waited for the ball girl to hand her another one.

"Think maybe she's got a little pent up frustration?" Bruce winced as she served again. This time the other girl managed to return the serve, and Chloe smashed it back at her, getting the final point. Lex shrugged.

"Maybe," he said. They waited while Chloe shook hands with her opponent, a huge grin on her face. She spotted them watching and made her way over to their bench. Bruce stood up quickly to greet her and Lex followed lazily, a smirk on his face.

"Hey," she greeted them with her infamous grin, pushing aside a strand of hair that fell out of her short ponytail and pulling a white sweater on over her tennis outfit. "Are you done? Who won?"

"Haberman did," Bruce answered her, returning her grin. Chloe sat down on the bench tiredly and looked up at them. "You're playing pretty good. I think you made that girl cry."

Chloe's grin turned devilish. "I do get a kind of sick thrill out of kicking a little trust fund ass," she admitted, eyes twinkling when Lex chuckled. "For kids that have been playing since they were old enough to hold a racket, they aren't very good. They just don't know how to win."

"I never thought of you as the jock type, Chloe," Bruce sat down next to her, leaning closer that Lex thought was really necessary. "I've read some of your Torch editorials and they seem to have a reoccurring anti-sport theme."

"I won't be joining the cheerleading squad anytime soon," she assured him. "At least playing tennis I don't have to depend on a bunch of steroid fried jock straps to help me win. If I loose, I loose...but it's going to damn well be because I can't win, not because anyone else was dragging me down."

Bruce laughed. "I think maybe you've been living with Luthor too long," he told her playfully. "He's starting to rub off on you." Chloe smiled and climbed to her feet.

"Then I guess I'm luckier than I thought," she locked eyes with Lex quickly before turning her gaze back to Bruce. "I'm hungry. How about I let you buy me lunch and you can explain to me how you two managed to loose a golf game to a sixty year old man."

"Fine," Bruce picked up her bag for her and they all began to make their way over to where Mayor Haberman was still chatting with his friend. "But you should know that he's actually a really good...I didn't even loose on purpose."

Lex rolled his eyes and forced himself not to check his watch. Instead he occupied himself with mentally cursing Bruce Wayne, whose hand was resting a little too low on Chloe's back.

* * *

Clark walked up to the massive front doors of the mansion and rung the doorbell. He waited patiently and after a few moments the door swung open to reveal the butler. "Hey Walden," Clark greeted. "I'm supposed to meet Chloe here."

Walden nodded and stepped aside, gesturing for Clark to enter. "Miss Sullivan is in the exercise room," he told Clark, shutting the door behind them. "I'll take you there."

Clark frowned in confusion, not actually able to remember the last time that Chloe had engaged in any kind of physical activity besides running for her life. "Why?"

"I beg your pardon sir?" Walden looked back at him in confusion. Clark blushed.

"Oh, nothing," he said quickly. Walden raised an eyebrow but didn't comment again, leading Clark silently to the weight filled room. Even though Walden had told him, Clark was actually a little surprised to see that Chloe was indeed in the room Lex had turned into a sort of home gym. Walden left and Clark leaned against the doorway, watching silently for a few minutes while Chloe threw a succession of punches at a suspended punching bag.

"The tennis pro at the country club says that it will help my game," she called out, not bothering to turn around. Clark grinned and walked over to her.

"How did you know I was there?" he asked her, coming to stand on the other side of the bag and holding it steady while she punched.

"I heard you come in," she turned quickly into a spin kick, her foot connecting with the bag hard enough that Clark didn't even have to pretend to sway under the force. "That's enough." She wiped a piece of hair away, tucking it behind her ear, and led him over to a couple of chairs against one of the walls. "So did you talk to Pete?"

"Yep," Clark nodded. "Called him on Saturday—"that was a lie but he didn't want to explain to Chloe how he got to Pete's house. "—He's taking the bus in on Friday. Should be here at four."

"Great," Chloe sighed and leaned against him in exhaustion.

"Have you heard from Lucas?" Clark asked her, moving his arm around her shoulders so she could rest more comfortably.

She shook her head. "No," she said a little sadly. "I don't really expect to either. I think maybe you and Lex were right about him."

"Maybe he'll show up on Friday," Clark suggested, not believing it but hoping that he would.

"Maybe," she muttered. "It looks like it's just going to be the four of us then. I'd invite more people but I don't know who Lex would want there. Bruce Wayne is in town but I'm pretty sure that Lex would kill me if I invited him."

"I think it's probably better keeping it small," Clark assured her. "He'll probably have to go to a huge party for Christmas anyways."

"Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Friday Appreciation Day..." she nodded, agreeing. "I e-mailed Lana, but she can't get away for the weekend. Apparently her art history class is going on a weekend trip to Florence...tell me again why we go to public school?"

He laughed. "Because it's closer," he nudged her. "Come on, I brought my English homework with me...I'm totally lost."

Chloe groaned but climbed to her feet, leading him out of the room. "Did you get Lex a gift yet?" Clark asked her as they climbed up the stairs to the top floor.

"Not yet," she admitted, sounding a little frustrated about the fact. "I haven't been able to decide on what to get him. I mean, what do you get for the billionaire who has everything?"

"I don't know," Clark admitted. "I haven't thought of anything either. Did you ask him what he wanted?"

"Yes," she snorted, rolling her eyes as she pushed the door open to her bedroom and led him in. Clark hesitated in the doorway, unsure if he should go into a girl's bedroom, even if it was Chloe. But she kept talking and he was forced to follow her so that he could hear her. "He keeps saying that I don't need to get him anything. I hate it when people say that! Of course I need to get him something; just because he doesn't _need_ anything doesn't mean that he doesn't _want_ anything."

Clark sat down at her desk and dropped his backpack onto it, pulling out his English notes. "I think that in Lex's case, you can't really buy the things that he wants," Clark told her apologetically. Chloe nodded thoughtfully.

Suddenly she broke into a grin.

* * *

_Monday, October 11th_

The Metropolis History Archives Building loomed up in front of her, it's stone gargoyles and chipped pillars sending an uncomfortable chill down the back of her spine. "No wonder kids don't read," Chloe muttered, climbing quickly up the uneven stone steps and heaving open the giant doors. She entered a large, sparsely decorated room, in which the only furniture was an old oak desk pressed against the far wall. Her heels clicked on the stone floors and echoed loudly around the empty room.

There was a bell on the desk and she reached out and rung it, tapping her foot impatiently while she waited for someone to attend to her. The unmistakable sound of approaching footsteps echoed out through the hall and Chloe turned towards the doorway it just in time to see a woman walk out. She almost snorted at the image; a librarian with a tight bun in her hair and a tweed suit.

"May I help you?" the woman asked Chloe imperiously, obviously a master at the 'looking-down-your-nose stance'.

"Yes," Chloe returned back coolly, gesturing to the large file and book in her other hand. "I'm here to see Dr. Curtis. Do you know where I can find him?"

"Do you have an appointment?" the woman asked her accusingly.

"Yes," Chloe stuck her chin out defiantly...totally lying. She didn't have an appointment, but she did have a large personal check in her pocket that she was pretty sure would do the trick.

The woman didn't seem to believe her but nodded anyway. "Follow me please," she turned briskly on her heel and began to walk away. Chloe had to half run to keep up with her, but she didn't tell the woman to slow down. She was led down a maze of hallways and up a flight of stairs to a wing labeled "Publication Specialists". "It's this one here," the woman gestured to one of the doors. There was a nameplate above the door reading "Dr. A.L. Curtis", the same name that was embossed on her book in gold letters.

"Thank-you," Chloe said politely, but the woman was already half way down the hall by then and her comment was said to a tweed-covered back. Chloe took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Yes, come in," a muffled voice called from the other side. Chloe pushed the door open and stepped into a decently sized office. There was a sixty-ish man sitting at yet another large mahogany desk. "Can I help you?"

"I hope so," Chloe closed the door behind her and forced herself to stand confidently in front of him. "Dr. Curtis my name is Chloe Sullivan. I was hoping that I might be able to interest you in writing a historical entry for me."

He shook his head but gestured for her to sit in one of the antique chairs in front of his desk. She took a seat and looked around the room quickly, noting the display cases with various antiques that adorned the walls. "Now, Miss...Sullivan, wasn't it?" he asked her.

"Chloe," she corrected.

"Okay, Chloe," he set down his pen and closed the folder that he'd been going through. "I'm not exactly sure what you're asking for but I should tell you now that as a general rule I don't compose historical reports for high school students. My services are generally reserved for government resources and publishing companies. I write books Chloe, not school papers."

"Trust me Dr. Curtis," she shook her head. "I don't need any help with my homework. That's not why I'm here."

"Then you've got my attention," he smiled warmly. "Why are you here?"

"I want you to write a book," she told him, feeling an immense sense of satisfaction when his eyebrows rose in surprise.

"You want me to write a book," he repeated stoically. "May I ask about what?" She smiled and handed him the large folder.

* * *

_Thursday, October 14th_

Chloe gnawed roughly on her lower lip and tried to ignore the ticking coming from the clock on the wall behind her. She pushed her eggs around her plate distractedly, keeping her ears peeled for the sound of a phone ringing. The prongs of the fork scraped along the porcelain plate, but she didn't notice. After a few more scrapes she heard Lex swear softly.

"Jesus, Chloe!" he put his paper down and stared down the table at her.

"What?" she asked defensively, continuing to scrape the plate.

"What? Stop it," he pointed at her fork. She looked down at the utensil in her hand, realized what she was doing, and blushed.

"Sorry," she muttered, dropping the fork now and checking her watch.

"Are you okay?" he asked her doubtfully. "You're twitchy this morning."

"I'm fine—"she cut herself off with a small screech when the melodic ring of her cell-phone filled the air. She lunged for the phone, picking it up off the table, and grinning at the name on the display. "Sorry," she apologized to Lex briefly and then hit the talk button. "Hello? Yes! Hi, I'm so glad you called. Tell me you have good news..."

Lex rolled his eyes and went back to his paper, but she saw his eyebrow quirk occasionally at some of her comments. "...So tomorrow morning...no I have school, can I bring it tonight...what seriously...but why the back entrance...well, I'm not a drug dealer...no I don't want to be in the Inquisitor...but it's creepy...fine I'll bring Clark—why not? He's my friend...no he said it would be done today, I have to pick it up after school...I have to go today...oh come on!"

Lex rolled his eyes again and this time set his paper down on the table and picked up his briefcase. Chloe paused. "Oh hold on a second," she covered the mouthpiece and turned to Lex. "Bye Lex."

"Bye Chloe," he returned with a small smirk and looked pointedly at the phone in her hand. "Try not to get arrested." She grinned at his back when he walked out of the room.

"Have a good day!" she called after him and then went back to her phone call. "Sorry Clark, he's gone now. Anyways, Dr. Curtis called me last night and said we could pick up the manuscript today after school."

* * *

"Is the Mission Impossible theme playing in your head right now too?" Clark asked Chloe as they walked out of the Archives Building. She held a thick envelope in her hands, and Clark was clutching the massive file that she'd lent to Dr. Curtis.

"Are you kidding?" she laughed. "That was my personal theme song for almost four years Clark. I hum it in my sleep."

"I feel like we're doing something wrong," he admitted, following her down the stairs and into the subway station.

"We're not," she assured him. "It's just because he doesn't know...it'll pass."

"I guess," Clark shrugged. They climbed onto the train and took a pair of seats near the exit doors. "But for the record I think that this is going to be a really great gift for Lex."

"Yeah?" she asked him hopefully. "Do you think he'll like it?"

Clark grinned at her. "He'll love it...I just wish I hadn't bought him CD's now," he sighed. "It just seems stupid."

"Hey, even billionaires like music Clark," she waved her hand. "In fact people as rich as Lex prefer to get CD's, because then they don't have to download songs like us peasants."

"I can't believe you got him to do this," Clark shook his head and looked at the envelope in wonder. "And so quickly too."

"'Love of money is the root of all evil' Clark," she quoted. "I guess he really loved money."

"How much did this cost you Chloe?" he asked, suddenly concerned.

"Don't worry Clark," she shook her head. "We worked it out. He gets a suprisingly small fee, a finished copy, and copyright royalties."

Clark seemed to be reassured because he changed the topic. "Have you heard from Lucas yet?" he asked her hopefully. He and Lex may not be close anymore, but he really did agree with what Chloe had said the week before; Lucas should be there.

"No," she sighed. "I've pretty much given up hope. At least Lex never knew that we invited him in the first place."

"Yeah," Clark nodded sympathetically. Clark knew that if his only brother couldn't be bothered to attend his birthday party, he'd be a little hurt.

"Ass," Chloe muttered. They sat quietly for the remainder of the ride. When the train got to their stop they filed out with a large group of people. Chloe led the way to a tall building a half a block down from their subway stop. A tall man with dark, wavy hair was waiting outside.

"Who's that?" Clark asked her, confused when she walked straight up to the man and flashed him one of her mega-watt grins.

"Clark Kent," she smiled at Clark now. "Meet Bruce Wayne."

_TBC..._


	4. Three

**Chapter Three**

"Have you seen Lex?" Chloe walked carefully up to the butler, a silver tray balanced on her hands. Walden nodded.

"Yes Miss, he's in his study," he informed her.

"Ah, of course he is," she rolled her eyes and Walden's lip quirked slightly in response. "Has he requested that you bring a bed in there for him yet?"

"Not yet Miss," Walden smiled openly now. "But we're on alert. I've already set aside some linens."

"Good," she laughed. "Well, hopefully when we get back on Monday he'll be...well, _sane_ again."

"I'm sure the trip will do him good Miss," Walden agreed.

"Has he been asking questions yet?" she bit her lip.

"No Miss, I think he's been rather distracted with work."

"He'll hate that," she shook her head in false sympathy. "Thanks Walden."

"Your welcome miss," he nodded again. Chloe continued down the hall on the way to the study. Since her hands were full, she knocked on the door with her foot once she'd reached it.

"Don't kick the doors Chloe," Lex called from inside. She rolled her eyes and pushed the door open, making her way inside. Lex set down his pen when she approached. "Did I miss dinner again?"

"Probably, I'm not sure," she set the tray down on the desk. "I just got back." Lex leaned back in his chair and sighed, checking his watch.

"Is it really midnight?" he ran a hand over his head distractedly.

"Yes it is," she pushed the tray towards him pointedly. Lex rolled his eyes but indulged her, lifting the heavy cover off. On the expensive silver tray Chloe had placed a chocolate cupcake, with chocolate icing, and a blue candle in the middle. She pulled a lighter out of her pocket and quickly lit the candle. "Happy Birthday," she beamed. Lex's lip quirked briefly before he too broke into a grin, amused by her excitement.

"Thank-you," he told her sincerely. Chloe continued to smile at him, and for a minute they both just sat there, looking at each other. She began to feel self conscious, and mentally cursed him for never being the one to look away first. She sighed and walked around the desk, perching on one of the corners so he had to turn his chair if he wanted to keep staring at her.

"Well?" she laughed. "Don't you rich kids get cakes?"

"It's not really a cake," he pointed out, teasing.

"Yeah, yeah," she rolled her eyes again. "You'll get a real cake _tomorrow_. So...go on! Blow out the candles."

"Fine," he was clearly amused, because his eyes twinkled a bit when he looked at her, but he dutifully leaned forward, ready to blow—

"Oh!" she put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "And make a wish!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because you're supposed to."

"Luthor's don't make wishes Chloe," he told her gravely, the twinkle still there though.

"You have to want something Lex," she sighed and ran her fingertips over the flame quickly, hypnotized by memories of fire licking her skin, only vaguely aware that this time it didn't hurt. "World peace, a new car, something."

"I don't wish for things to happen, I _make_ them happen," he insisted. Chloe set her jaw and kept her attention locked firmly on the flame. This time he caved first, lasted only a half a minute before he sighed and pulled her hand away, so she wouldn't get burnt. Chloe locked eyes with him while he leaned forward and blew out the candle.

"Did you..." she trailed off. When he blinked back at her, a strange look in his eyes, her grin returned. "You did! I knew you could think of something."

"You're a mastermind," he deadpanned. Chloe shrugged again and watched quietly as he plucked the candle out of the icing and sucked the frosting off of the wax.

"Lex?"

"Chloe?" he asked her, eyes flicking up to hers once again.

"I know it's _your_ birthday," she began timidly. "But I was hoping that you would do something for me. It's important."

He nodded quickly, concern evident on his face. "What is it?"

"Put those papers away and _go to_ _bed_," she stressed the last three words. He looked almost relieved...almost. He shook his head.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you about crying wolf Chloe," he muttered. "It's not funny."

"Yeah, and I'm not laughing," she replied seriously. He adopted his patented blank face, the default one that he wore for business and brush-offs. Before he could flat out tell her no, she reached out and grabbed his arm, fingers tangling in the deep purple silk, and forced him to look at her. "Lex."

She saw his features soften almost instantly, all the while searching her face for something...maybe sincerity. Finally he nodded. "I think I'm done for the night anyway," he told her, clearly lying about the enormous stack of paper on the desk. Chloe smiled contently and slid off of the desk.

She waited while he closed the papers in his briefcase and picked the cupcake up off of the desk, and then he followed her out of the study. "It's really _very_ kind of you to demand something from me on _my_ birthday," he teased, following her up the stairs to the wing with the bedrooms.

"What can I say?" she shot back over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of him taking a bite out of the cupcake. "I'm a giver."

* * *

_Friday, October 15th_

The rhythm that the pencil was tapping sounded suspiciously like the Mission Impossible theme, and it was getting on Chloe's nerves. Stupid Clark. She didn't yell at him though, not just because her math teacher would probably yell at _her_ for talking, but because she knew he was just anxious. It was the same reason that she kept gnawing on her left thumb nail and checking the large clock above the blackboard every two seconds. It was the last class of the day, and they were eager to get out of there. By the time Clark got home Pete would already be waiting there, and Chloe would be waiting at the mansion so they could all head to Metropolis. She stifled the small squeal that threatened to come out and would undoubtedly make her look like some kind of brain dead, pom-pom toting, special ed case.

She was so fixated on the clock, with only five minutes until the end of the day, that she didn't notice the guy beside her, whispering her name. When he reached out and tapped her shoulder she jumped, startled, and dropped her pen to the floor. Clark looked over at her in amusement but she ignored her friend and turned to her right. Cute, red hair... "Cooper," she whispered. "You scared me!"

"Sorry," he blushed an adorable shade of red that kind of clashed with his hair and made his freckles stand out. "I guess you didn't hear me."

She blushed now too, realizing that he'd been calling her name...and probably for some time too. "I didn't," she admitted, accepting the pen he was holding out to her. "What's up?"

"I was...I was just wondering," he swallowed awkwardly and his eyes seemed to try to land on anything but her face, before finally settling on a point on her shoulder. "I was wondering if you have plans tomorrow. I was sort of hoping we could get together and...go to a movie or...something." He finished off a little hurriedly, still not quite meeting her eyes.

Chloe felt her cheeks heat up again, and her lips quirked into a smile before she even realized it. Cooper paled when she smiled and he probably thought that she was going to laugh. "I'm going to be out of town this weekend," she whispered back. He nodded quickly, looking like he'd been slapped, and she immediately felt bad. If they weren't going away that weekend she would have probably said yes. She didn't really think about Cooper when he wasn't around, but she enjoyed his company, and it had been a while since a boy had wanted to go out with her...besides as a publicity stunt, or to kill her, or because he was oblivious...

"Oh okay," he replied quickly. "I shouldn't have...it was really short notice...I didn't mean to—"

"Cooper," she cut him off, putting a hand on his forearm to silence him. He looked back at her with one of the prettiest pairs of blue eyes that she'd ever seen, which was really something considering she spent a lot of time with Lex Luthor and Clark Kent. "I'm out of town this weekend, but if you still..._next_ weekend, I'll be here. If you still want to..."

"Yes!" he nodded eagerly, a grin jumping to his face now. "I mean... yeah sure, next weekend would be great." Chloe grinned back and they both blushed. She hadn't felt that way around a guy in a long time...since Justin. The thought clouded her mood only a little, and before she knew it the bell was ringing.

She gathered her books together quickly and crammed them into her backpack. "I have to go," she explained to Cooper. "Got a plane to catch."

"Sure," he was still grinning. "I'll see you next week. Have fun."

"I will, thanks," she blushed again and gave him a little wave before turning around and crashing into—"Clark! Don't do that." She looked up at her friend, standing directly in front of her, and rubbed the shoulder that had hit his chest. It felt like she'd run into a wall.

"Sorry," he smiled sheepishly. "Are you ready to go?"

"You bet," she beamed at him and they hurried out of the class, towards the lot where he'd parked his truck.

"So," Clark tried to sound casual..._tried_. "What did Cooper want?"

"What?" she averted her eyes and pretended to be watching the passing scenery intently. "Oh, he was just wondering what I was doing this weekend."

"Oh," Clark muttered quietly. "Did you tell him you were busy?"

"Yes," she really didn't want to be having this conversation with him now, but knew it was pointless pretending that it hadn't happened because Clark had probably seen the whole thing anyways.

"So did he ask you out?" Clark blurted. She felt her mouth gape open and managed to nod her head slightly. "Oh, that's...um, did you say yes?"

"I told him I won't be in town this weekend," she said vaguely, wondering why he even cared, and why she was so reluctant to tell him.

"This weekend..."

"I said I'd be here next weekend," she told him, hoping that he'd get the hint and realize that she didn't want to talk about it, at least not with him. Clark didn't answer this time, and when she looked over out of the corner of her eye she noticed that he was clutching the steering wheel hard enough to turn his knuckles white.

Finally, Clark sighed and turned into the mansion driveway. "Chloe I—"he broke off in shock, staring out the window and into the driveway. She followed his gaze and felt the same sense of shock wash over her. Clark parked the truck and they both climbed out warily, staring at the flashy black car waiting in the driveway. It wasn't one of Lex's.

He had two duffle bags at his feet and was wearing a pair of thousand dollar sunglasses, a lot of leather, and a self-satisfied smirk. "You should have been more specific Sullivan," he gestured to the duffle bags. "I didn't know what to pack."

"I wasn't worried Lucas," she assured him, walking over and picking up one of the bags. She turned back to Clark. "You'd better go and get your stuff Clark."

"Right," Clark nodded, snapping back to attention and forcing himself to stop gaping at Lucas. "Pete's probably there already. I'll go get him and we'll be back here by four." Chloe nodded and began to walk into the mansion, Lucas following behind her, duffle bag in hand.

"I know I'm early," he began arrogantly. "But you seemed to want me here so badly..."

Chloe rolled her eyes. It was going to be a long weekend.

* * *

The whirring propellers created a strong wind on the rooftop of Luthor Corp Plaza. The breeze whipped harshly at Chloe's clothes as she climbed out of the helicopter. "We'll meet you at the airport," she called to Clark over the noise of the blades and through the hair that kept sweeping into her face. Clark nodded and gave her thumbs up, indicating that he heard. "Don't forget to put the luggage on the plane Clark." He rolled his eyes at that and she smirked back briefly.

Chloe gave a quick wave to the pilot and ran off of the launch pad, hurrying over to the elevator and pressing the button to summon one of the lifts. She watched the helicopter take off, and returned Pete's wave, until they were almost out of sight. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Chloe walked in and pressed the button for the top floor, where the executive offices were located. She tried to smooth out her hair and blazer using the mirrored walls...just in time for the doors to open on her desired floor.

Lex's secretary greeted her as soon as she stepped out onto the marbled floor. "Hi," Chloe grinned. The girl smiled back.

"Hello Ms. Sullivan," she replied perkily. Chloe's grin became strained but she didn't correct her; by now she knew that Lex's people _wouldn't_ call her Chloe, no matter how often she asked them to.

Chloe shot a quick glance at Lex's office, ensuring that his door was closed. "Did you take care of it?" she whispered. The secretary nodded eagerly.

"Yes," she showed her The Day Planner, which Chloe was pretty sure was not supposed to be eye candy for anyone except Lex and his people. Then again, Chloe _was_ one of his people now... "All of his Monday appointments have been rescheduled for Tuesday, and his latest Daily Planet interview is now a lunch date on Wednesday. He'll be free all day."

"If I could give you a raise I would," Chloe assured her gratefully. The girl seemed to think the compliment was raise enough, because another Barbie-esque smile appeared on her face.

"Thank-you," she chirped. Chloe smiled back and secretly wondered_ why_ Lex hired her in the first place; either she had some real hidden depths, or she was willing to do _anything _for her boss. Shaking_ that_ disturbing image out of her head, Chloe tried to get a glimpse into the office, but all of the walls were made of privacy glass.

"Is he in there with anyone?" she asked the girl.

"Nope, just him," the girl shook her head and Chloe could swear that she heard something rattle. "You could probably go in if you like."

Chloe checked her watch. "Yeah...why not," she shrugged. It wasn't quite five thirty, but then he _was_ the boss. "It's about that time." She almost skipped to his office, liking the way her heels clicked on the marble floor, and knocked firmly on the large, imposing doors.

"Come in," Lex called out. He didn't even look up when she entered; he was too busy going through what looked like a very thick contract. "Miss Sharp do you have another copy of the Edinburgh proposal?" Chloe raised her eyebrows. When she didn't answer, he looked up; the way his eyes widened, almost unnoticeably, told her that he was obviously surprised to see her there.

"I could ask her," Chloe offered, walking into the office more and closing the door behind her. Lex shook his head.

"Chloe," he set the contract down. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was you."

"That's fine," she smiled.

"What can I do for you?" he leaned back in his chair and looked at her appraisingly. She struggled not to roll her eyes.

"Are you done?" she asked him. His forehead wrinkled in confusion and she elaborated. "For the day; are you all finished here? It's five thirty."

Lex checked his watch. "It's actually five twenty-five," he clarified.

"I think you should write a letter to the Rolex people Lex," she shook her head. "They run a little slow." He rose and eyebrow at that and stared her down.

"What's going on Chloe?"

"Surprise Lex, big plans, lots of fun...but I need you to come with me," she grinned. He frowned again.

"I don't like surprises Chloe," he told her seriously.

"That's because you've probably never had a good one before," she walked over to a coat rack in one of the corners and removed the black coat that he'd hung there.

"Chloe—"

"Lex," she cut him off and gave him a very pointed, very serious look. "Is there really anything here that can't wait until after the weekend? _Really_?" He hesitated.

"I really should..."

"No Lex," she realized that she was getting very close to whining now but she didn't really care. She walked back to his desk and stood directly in front of it, so he was forced to look at her. "You're working really hard to prove yourself and get the company back on its feet, and I get that Lex, I _really_ do. But you're not going to do anyone any good if you burn yourself out in the process. Do you not realize that you're the _boss_ here? If you want to leave the Edinburgh whatever until next week who here can really do anything about that? You've already proved yourself to everyone that matters. Luthor Corp will be just fine if you take the weekend off. Now get your stuff together and let's get out of here, because it's your birthday and the people that care about you want to celebrate."

She draped the jacket over his desk and turned around, marching straight back out into the reception area, and calling the elevator up to their floor.

One minute later he joined her, briefcase and jacket in hand, pointedly not looking at her. She'd been honestly worried that he would yell at her, or worse, pretend like she'd never even gone into the office at all. But he was there now, and he wasn't talking...

"I shouldn't have—"

This time he cuther off. "No Chloe," he shook his head, turning his gaze to hers. "You were right. The company will survive without me for one weekend."

"Okay then," she beamed at him. The elevator arrived and the doors opened, letting them walk inside. Lex's secretary walked by holding a stack of files and flashed them both a plastic smile.

"Have a good weekend Mr. Luthor," she chirped. "We'll see you Tuesday."

The doors slid shut before Lex could say anything. He turned to Chloe with raised brows. "Tuesday?"

She shrugged. "Fine, they can do without you for a _long_ weekend," she clarified snarkily.

* * *

Lex stared out of the limo window at the passing buildings..._familiar_ buildings. "Are we going to the airport?" he asked Chloe, unable to restrain himself. She'd been right before, he didn't like surprises because he'd never had a good one. But Chloe had no reason to lie to him, and he was trying to trust her now.

"Yes," she nodded, her head bent low and peering into the refrigerator. She sat back against her seat, pulling two blue bottles of water out with her and handing one to him.

"Chloe," he sighed, opening his drink. "Do you think you could tell me _why_ you're taking me to the airport?"

"Because that's where the plane is," she told him slowly, opening her water as well.

"Oh, of course," he rolled his eyes and took a long gulp from his bottle. She sighed.

"Lex, I know that you hating not knowing every little thing that's going on around you," she tried placating him, only resulting in pissing him off a little. "But you've really just got to trust me. We've planned—"

"_We_?" he cut her off. "Who's we? You and _Clark_?" She obviously didn't like the way he'd said Clark's name, a little hostile and more than a little paranoid.

"Yes," she stared back defiantly. "Clark and I planned this...and for the record it was actually _his_ idea to _not _throw you a huge party—"

"Remind me to thank him then," Lex muttered, immensely glad that he hadn't gone home to the mansion after a long week and found a hundred of his most important business associates waiting in his lounge.

"Oh look," she said brightly, completely ignoring his last comment. "We're here." Lex looked out the window, realizing that she was right. They were just pulling onto the runway access roads and he could see his plane sitting on one of the runways, engines already running and clearly just about ready to go.

"We're taking _my_ plane?" he was actually surprised that she'd managed to convince his pilots to fly without his okay first...not that he would have said no if she _had_ actually asked to use his plane. Apparently she took it the wrong way though...

"I didn't think you'd go if we had to fly commercial," she shrugged.

"Do you really think that I'm _that_ big of a snob Chloe?" he asked a little sharply, stung that she seemed to believe that. It's not like he'd always had a private plane; Lionel didn't but it until Lex was three...

"You know I don't," she assured him, her eyes already twinkling, as the limo got closer to the plane. The car came to a stop on the runway and they could hear the engines running even over the running car.

"Chloe I don't have my passport," he blurted suddenly, feeling like an idiot. He should have seen something like this coming; she'd been talking about his birthday for the last two weeks now. But he'd been really busy lately, hadn't paid much attention to her, and its not like he carried a passport around with him...

"I packed it," she laughed. "It's on the plane with your luggage." He nodded, feeling immensely relieved; now that he knew that they were getting away for a few days, the idea didn't sound so bad. "You have got to relax Lex, you're acting like no one's ever done anything for you before. When we get on board we'll get you a scotch okay?"

He rolled his eyes. "Fine," he shook his head. "And for the record, usually when people do something for me they want something in return...or they want to kill me."

She blinked at him in surprise. "I don't want anything from you Lex," she assured him. "And I promise that I'm not trying to kill you."

"You promise?" he goaded, sharing a grin with her.

"Promise," she made a cross motion over her heart and then grabbed his hand. "Now let's go." He fumbled to put the lid back on his water and just managed to drop it on the seat before she pushed the door open and jumped out, pulling him out with her. She snatched the briefcase up off of the seat before he could. "You can have it back on Monday, when we get home."

He tried to fix one of his most terrifying glares on her but she just raised and eyebrow and turned around, pulling him along behind her like some kind of...Clark Kent. "Cut it out, I'm not afraid of you," she called back over her shoulder, the sound of the engines drowning out most of her words.

"What?" he yelled back. She shook her head.

"Nothing!" They reached the plane and she released his hand, hurrying up the stairs. He sighed and followed behind her, poising himself to greet Clark and whoever else she had decided to invite along. If Bruce Wayne was there...

Chloe disappeared into the plane and he followed a couple of seconds later. Chloe paused at the cabin door and he bumped into her, reaching a hand out to steady her. "What's wrong..."he trailed off and followed her gaze to where Clark, Lucas and Pete had somehow managed to hook a video game system up to Lex's big screen TV. Angry cries filled the room, but they weren't coming from the game.

"Hey it's my turn!" Clark tried to pull the game controls out of Lucas's hands. Pete was looking back and forth between them, clutching his controls protectively.

Lucas pulled back. "I don't think so Jethro! Pete called winners, and _I_ won!" he tugged again.

"Because you cheated!" Clark pulled even harder. "You're going to break it! Why don't you go back and harass the pilot again?"

"Because he won't tell me anything! And you're the one who's going to break it!"

"Hey, guys!" Pete called out desperately, pushing his controls in their direction. "Why don't you two have a rematch and I'll play whoever wins—"

"But I won!" Lucas glared at Clark. "He just can't stand to loose."

"You cheated," Clark practically whined.

"You cheated," Lucas mocked.

"You did!" Clark said defensively. "You unplugged my control."

"It's just a game man," Lucas laughed.

"Come on guys, this is pathetic!" Pete rolled his eyes and dropped his control in frustration. "What would Chloe and Lex say if they saw you?"

"He'd probably ask me why I didn't hire a babysitter?" Chloe supplied. Pete grinned at her and Clark and Lucas both froze in their struggle.

"Chloe..." Clark seemed at a loss for words. "Lex...Chloe he cheated! It was my turn and—"

"Oh shut up," Lucas rolled his eyes and thrust the controller into Clark's hands roughly. Clark grinned triumphantly for a second before they all climbed to their feet and made their way over to shake hands with Lex.

"Hey," Pete greeted a little awkwardly, shaking his hand last. "Well...Happy Birthday."

"Thanks," Lex smirked.

TBC...


	5. Closer

**Closer**

_A/N: So it took a while for me to update, not because I was slacking though; I don't have internet access where I stay during the week. The next episode will be a continuation and I've decided to throw in a little action/death defying situation to break up the angstyness of this episode and the ones to come. Please enjoy, and thanks for the choice reviews! :00_

The flight to...wherever it was they were going, was passing a lot more peacefully than Lex had expected, considering the company anyways. Lucas and Clark had managed to keep themselves from fighting for at least four hours now.

"How much farther is it?" Lucas asked from across the cabin.

"Not much," Chloe replied vaguely, turning a page in the book that she was reading.

"She's been saying that for the past two hours," Lucas muttered, his voice carrying through the cabin.

"Then stop asking," Clark rolled his eyes. Lex shook his head and got up from his seat between Chloe and Pete, heading to the bar. Chloe wasted no time in swinging her legs up and over his vacated seat, resting her feet in Pete's lap and continuing with her book. Pete frowned slightly and then moved his Game Boy to rest on her ankles, smirking triumphantly while he hit several buttons in rapid succession and let out a triumphant "ha take that!"

Lex was pouring himself a glass of scotch, thinking that maybe he should get some friends his own age, when Clark ambled over, walking rather unsteadily in the moving plane. "Do _you_ need a drink Clark?" Lex asked him with a small smirk, putting the cap back on the bottle. "You aren't a fan of heights are you?"

Clark shook his head and held onto the side of the bar for support. "I've never flown anywhere before," he admitted. "It's really...high."

Lex wasn't surprised about that; the Kent's were definitely down-on-the-farm people. "You're doing fine," Lex assured him. He and Clark hadn't been on the best of terms lately, but Lex appreciated the fact that he'd helped plan and organize this little impromptu trip. "Much better than Chloe was anyways...she was a wreck." Clark grinned at that and they both shot a paranoid look in Chloe's direction, hoping that she wasn't listening. She wasn't. "Still," Lex continued as innocently as he could. "It's probably comforting for you to know where we're going, no surprises there..."

Clark's grin widened. "Are you trying to get me to tell you where we're going?" Clark for once.

"No," Lex lied, unconvincingly. Clark shook his head. "I was just making conversation."

"I'd love to tell you Lex," Clark assured him. "But Chloe would kill me."

"How come?"

"Because it's supposed to be a surprise," Clark grinned again, knowing that Lex knew full well what Chloe's goal was there.

"As a general rule I'm not a huge fan of surprises," Lex informed him.

"Which is why I'd like to tell you," Clark insisted. "But honestly, I'm not really looking to get Chloe mad at me...she worked so hard at this, and she can get..."

"Scary?" Pete supplied, coming up beside Lex and joining them at the bar. Clark nodded sheepishly.

"I heard that Peter!" Chloe called over to them. Clark looked slightly panicked and shakily made his way over to where Chloe was lying across all three seats now, presumably to apologize.

Pete chuckled and Lex smirked into his drink. "So," Lex once again tried for a casual approach. "Do you..."

"No clue," Pete shook his head sadly. "I figured that Clark would have let something slip by now –you know how he is—but so far, nothing. Lucas doesn't know either. I'm thinking about sneaking into the cockpit and asking the pilot."

Lex took another swig of his scotch. "Don't bother, they won't tell you," Lex shook his head too. When Pete raised and eyebrow, Lex reached for the bottle to refill his glass. "I already asked and they wouldn't tell me anything."

"She can talk people into anything," Pete looked fondly over to where Chloe was still lying, only this time her feet over Clark's lap and she was laughing at something that he'd said.

"Yes she can," Lex agreed, knowing full well how persuasive Chloe could be.

"I always thought that if the whole reporter thing didn't work out Chloe would make business tycoon," Pete chuckled. "Or maybe a politician."

Before Lex could really think about that the pilot's voice broke over the speakers. "We're beginning our descent now, if everyone would please take their seats and buckle up."

Lex and Pete joined Clark and Chloe on the bench seats. Chloe sat up again so Lex could sit down, and Pete and Lucas buckled themselves into the bench across from them. They could feel the plane begin to descend...Clark squeezed his eyes shut and clutched at his armrests. Pete and Lucas rolled their eyes at him and they both attempted to cram themselves up against the window, trying to where they were. Clark turned his head resolutely away from the window, his gaze fixing pointedly on his feet.

Lex pretended that he didn't want to look, that he wasn't curious, but when Pete let out a low whistle he found himself craning his neck as inconspicuously as possible towards the window.

"Where are we?" Pete was glued to the window, his mouth open in awe. Lucas was trying desperately to see out too; he finally pushed Pete back against his seat and peered out, struggling (and failing) to look unimpressed. Lex turned to Chloe expectantly, as did Lucas and Pete. Clark managed to open his eyes long enough to look out his window; his jaw dropped and he quickly sat back in his chair, eyes squeezing shut again.

Chloe smiled smugly. "The same place that all other ridiculously rich people go to disappear for a while," she told them.

"Cayman Islands," Lex too since Chloe nodded and her smug smile turned into a beaming grin.

"Cayman Islands," she confirmed. Lex was honestly surprised; he assumed that Clark and Chloe would pick Hawaii or Mexico; somewhere full of other tourists...this was a nice alternative.

"I've never been to the Cayman Islands," Lex told her honestly. "But I'd always planned on it." She beamed then, accepting his comment for the complement that it was. He was impressed that her and Clark would select somewhere he'd actually never been.

"I want to retire here," Pete sighed wistfully, staring outside as the plane began to land. Clark gulped audibly and squeezed his eyes shut again. "Hell, I'd move here now." Chloe and Lucas nodded in agreement.

"We'll see if they'll let you in first," Chloe teased him. Lex watched in silent amusement as Chloe and Pete bickered, Clark began to turn red from holding his breath, and Lucas amused himself with making various crashing noises to scare Clark. So far, he was having an okay time.

The plane touched down (Clark flinched) and rolled to a stop on one of the runways. They filed out of the cabin once the captain had given the okay, and made their way out onto the runway where an airport authority was waiting to escort them into the building. "Are you all right Clark?" Lex asked when Clark almost fell down the stairs onto the cement. He looked a little green.

"Fine," Clark assured him. "Just need some fresh air..." They followed the airport worker into a terminal where they were asked to present passports. Clark turned to Pete. "Your mom said that she packed it in the front pocket on your backpack." Pete shrugged and rummaged through his bag, pulling out the passport triumphantly.

Lucas turned to Chloe with an obnoxious smirk on his face. "Don't worry, I brought mine along," he pulled his passport out of his back pocket and showed it to her pointedly.

"I _so_ glad," Chloe returned and pulled two passports out of her purse. She held one out to Lex, who took it with a silent nod.

They cleared customs easily enough, Chloe answering all of the questions about their stay. Once they were through they collected their luggage and located the exit doors. Pete pointed at something through the glass doors. "Hey, I guess that's our driver?" they followed his gaze to the man holding a "Luthor" sign.

"Got my name on it," Lucas pushed his way through the crowd, Clark and Pete following excitedly behind him. Lex paused at the doorway and put a hand on Chloe's elbow to hold her back.

"Chloe," he lowered his voice so the others wouldn't hear. "Where are we staying?"

"Oh, in a private villa about an hours drive away," she told him with a grin. "Don't worry, I didn't book a tacky hotel room or anything."

"A private villa?" he asked...not wanting to say it but wondering where she'd gotten the money for a private villa. He hadn't gotten a bill recently, and she hadn't been using the credit card that he'd given her, so she must be getting money from somewhere else... "Chloe, I don't want to offend you here, but please tell me that you aren't using up your inheritance money to pay for this trip?"

"Lex!" she looked annoyed.

"Seriously Chloe," he shook his head. "Because if you are I want you to tell me now and I'll transfer—"

"It's not a very good party if you pay for it yourself Lex," she rolled her eyes, shooting a glance to the others who were now leaning against the car waiting.

"I don't care about—"

"Well I do!" she interrupted, pulling her arm away from his hand. "I don't know why you don't seem to understand this, but I want to do something for you for a change! You've done so much for me this year...and I just want to return the favor."

"I don't want you to bankrupt yourself because you feel that you owe me something Chloe," he hissed.

"I won't," she returned. "And I don't want you to treat me like a petulant child because you're not used to people caring about you. Now just forget about this conversation and let's go meet the others. Please?"

He sighed. "But Chloe, you really don't have to spend—"

"Lex," she put her hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes seriously. "I don't do anything that I don't want to do."

"Neither do I Chloe," he insisted. "And I don't want to let this go."

"You are going to have to," she said, a definite tone of finality in her words. "Just let it go, and trust me when I tell you that I've worked it all out. Your job this weekend is to relax, not to worry about everyone and everything that you can't fix."

He frowned slightly at the way she said that. "You've worked it all out?" he repeated.

"I've worked it all out," Chloe nodded and moved her hand from his shoulder, picking up her bag again. He stared back silently for a minute and then gave a reluctant nod. "Thank-you."

Chloe smiled at him again and gestured to the others, indicating that they should go. Lex quelled down the feeling of unease; Chloe was fully able to take care of herself, and if she said that she'd worked it out, then she'd worked it out. He decided to take her advice, and tried to relax.

Chloe pushed the doors open and joined the others. Lex hesitated for only a second in the doorway, before stepping out into the Caribbean sun.

END...TBC...

_Next time on Smallville:_

..._Clark and Pete step onto a beach of white sand..."Where's Chloe?" Pete asks with a smirk. "I wanna go skinny dipping"..._

..."_You never did tell me what you want for your birthday, big brother"...Lucas and Lex are stretched out comfortably on a pair of beach towels...._

..._Chloe takes a running jump off a cliff into a large pool of blue water...she resurfaces and something catches her attention, her eyes widen in fear..._

..._Pete points to something in the distance, his hand shaking a little as he does..."We've got trouble guys"..._


End file.
